The best restaurants in Venice

Russell Norman's favourite restaurants in Venice

Russell Norman in Venice

Jenny Zarins

The inside scoop from the restaurant king behind London's Polpo

'Venice bewitches. Like many before me, I have been seduced by its art, architecture, poetry and beauty. But when people think of Venice they tend to think of its palaces, the Grand Canal, St Mark’s Square, fancy hotels and restaurants. What I adore about the city, though, is its love of food. Venetians cook and eat with such passion and pride – and as long as this continues, their culture will survive. There’s a genuine and thrilling attitude to the seasons and the ingredients they bring, and I find this completely infectious. The difference between home-cooking and restaurant food is simply a question of attitude. The former is heartfelt and generous, born of love, warmth, tradition and a sense of abundance. The latter counts precision, consistency and expertise among its virtues. Much has been written about the smartest restaurants, but the places that the locals tend to go to, which have the most wonderful homespun recipes, are the places I tend to favour too. Here are my finds.'

This article was first published in the May 2018 issue of Traveller magazine

‘Venetians don’t really do breakfast in the way that you’d expect. A day usually starts with a coffee and a sugar hit. One should always drink coffee standing al banco – at the bar. And it should only ever cost about one euro. One of the chief pleasures of mornings here is taking a stroll to buy some pastries and stopping for a swift macchiato or two. Locals order a frìtole, a typically Venetian street doughnut that’s uneven and clumsy, packed with fruit and covered with sugar.’

TRATTORIA ALLA RAMPA

‘I’m in and out of my favourite coffee spot in about a minute. Only tourists sit, and they get over-charged for the privilege. Caffè macchiato is the normal form (or an espresso if it’s past midday). Never order a milky coffee – if you ask for a latte you’ll get a glass of milk.’ Fondamenta Sant’Anna 1135

PASTICCERIA TONOLO

‘Locals flock to this legendary pastry shop. It serves delicious Essi biscuits from Burano – lemony treats in the shape of an S. People stop for a coffee, and leave with whole boxes to take back to their families.’ facebook.com/pasticceriatonolo

CAFFE FLORIAN

‘This is the famous café on Saint Mark’s Square that’s been in goodness-knows-how-many films. It deserves its reputation, but is probably just as famous for its pricing as its beautiful interiors. If you sit down at one of the tables a coffee will cost something like €16. But again, stand at the counter and you’ll get the same experience at a fraction of the price.’ caffeflorian.com

CAFFE DEL DOGE

‘This place is always full of locals because it’s off the beaten track, and you’ll rarely see an outsider. The coffee is Venetian coffee, and it’s very good. But there’s really no chance of a seat: it’s standing room only.’ caffedeldoge.com

'By 11am, the locals are on to savoury, snack-like cicchetti, and possibly the booze too. As with breakfast, Venetians rarely sit down for lunch, and when they do, it’s a very quick one – they generally eat on the hoof. They’ll have a plate, possibly two, with a small carafe of local wine, then it’s back to work.’

PASTICCERIA RIZZARDINI

‘This tiny bakery near Campo San Polo has apparently been around since 1742 – the floor is still that lovely terrazzo. It’s run by Paolo Brandolisio, who’s in his seventies, and his daughter Marta. From 11am order the home-baked pizzete. Come back two days in a row and you’ll be recognised as a regular and be accepted into their fold.’ Campiello dei Meloni 1415

ALL'ARCO

‘There are three tables here. That’s it. It’s run by Francesco Pinto, his wife Anna and son Matteo, and the food is superb. Try the baccalà mantecato, a sort of whipped salt-cod mousse infused with garlic and parsley. They also make tramezzini – beautiful little sandwiches with seasonal fillings. The Gorgonzola and walnut is wonderful.’ Sestiere San Polo 436

DALLA MARISA

‘The locals won’t thank me for telling you, but this is one of the most authentic restaurants in the city. It’s a canteen, really: cramped, noisy and full of taxi drivers, market traders and gondoliers. It’s also one of the only places I know serving the classic risotto secoe, made with fatty beef from the spine. If you go there expecting a table for two with fantastic service and clean glasses you’re going to be horrified. But I think it’s a sensation.’ Cannaregio 652

The best ice cream in Venice

GELATERIA NICO

‘This faces south onto the Giudecca, which means you get a lovely sense of light no matter the time of year. Locals will order a gianduiotto: a block of chocolate, hazelnut and nougat semifreddo stuffed into a glass of fluffy whipped cream, then topped with more cream. Sitting outside with one of these on a summer’s day is as good as it gets.’ Fondamenta Zattere

‘The passeggiata is that lovely time in the evening – usually around the golden hour – when everybody comes out of their houses for a gossip. It happens in the streets and in the wine bars. That’s when people will have their first Campari Spritz and maybe a few little bites to get their appetite going. There’s a lovely expression that I always think of when it’s this time of day: l’appetito vien mangiando, which means ‘with eating comes appetite”.’

LA CANTINA

‘This place is run by a very eccentric young Venetian called Francesco Zolzotto, a genius who does everything himself – a complete control-freak who’s in his own world, going at his own pace. He stands behind the counter on a box, because he’s so short, and serves the best local wines and perhaps a fantastic cheese and ham platter, or an insanely delicious raw-fish plate worthy of the best Japanese restaurant.’ facebook.com/cantinavenezia

ALLA VEDOVA

‘There is an ancient osteria listed in guidebooks as Ca’ d’Oro but known locally as Alla Vedova, ‘The Widow’s Place’. It’s a lovely, evocative bacaro that’s worth popping in for a small glass of wine at the bar – they are like thimbles and the locals call them ombra, which means ‘shadow’. But it’s the meatballs that keep me coming back; they are consistently, unfailingly lovely. The rate with which they are ordered and eaten means there’s a constant hot supply coming from the kitchen, all day long.’ Ramo Ca d’Oro, Cannaregio 3912

VINO VERO

‘A wonderful wine bar owned by a young proprietor who is really into his natural wines. It’s three or four doors away from Paradiso Perduto and a fabulous spot to grab a drink before supper.’ Fondamenta della Misericordia, Cannaregio 2497

'The main event, whether in a restaurant or at home, takes place at about 8pm. They don’t eat massively late in Venice: it’s not like Spain where everybody goes out at 10 o’clock. In fact, Venice pretty much shuts down around then.’

OSTERIA ALLE TESTIERE

‘A market-to-table restaurant in the purest sense of the expression. You’ll spot the chef, Bruno, at Rialto market in the morning, pointing out the ingredients he wants delivered to the restaurant that day. On the menu there might be capelunghe, the tiniest razor clams you’ve ever seen, cooked very simply with garlic, parsley, salt and olive oil. This isn’t about a chef showing off or trying to reinvent anything. One of my favourite dishes here is John Dory with pink peppercorns, orange, and fine herbs.’ osterialletestiere.it

PARADISO PERDUTO

‘Here you’ll find students and university professors, poets and actors, musicians and philosophers. Which might sound dreadfully pretentious, but it’s not. It’s buzzy and raucous and chaotic, and the proprietor, Maurizio, is a local legend. It’s a full-on, non-stop party from Thursday over the weekend, and only ends when the police arrive on Monday morning. The real star is the cacio e pepe which is made on a trolley by your table. Macaroni-like tubes of spaghetti are added to a 40kg wheel of Pecorino until the pasta becomes coated with the cheese. The waiter then crushes whole peppercorns in a big pestle and mortar, all right under your nose. Book ahead.’ Cannaregio, Fondamenta della Misericordia 2540

TRATTORIA ANTICHE CARAMPANE

‘This is a family-run place in the red-light district and I love it. It’s very busy, and always full of locals, which means the language being spoken isn’t Italian, it’s Venetian. The dishes they serve are proudly Venetian too. As soon as you arrive they’ll deliver little cones made out of menu paper, filled with deep-fried, lightly battered schie – tiny shrimp from the lagoon which are deliciously crispy and salty. One of the best dishes is tagliolini, an extra-thin tagliatelle, with a sauce called cassopipa, a peasant dish made from fish scraps spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.’ antichecarampane.com

AL COVO

‘This is a wonderful experience, and one that is more firmly on the international map. What you get here (unlike some of the other spots I’ve mentioned) is probably the best welcome in the city. It’s run by Caesar and his American wife Diane, and while the service is incredibly slick, the cooking is genuinely Venetian. They serve an amazing traditional bigoli, a slightly fat wholewheat spaghetti served with a very simple anchovy-and-onion sauce.’ ristorantealcovo.com

‘One could argue that Italian cooking is more about good shopping than good technique. Of course, you need to have a certain level of competence in the kitchen, but if the ingredients are excellent to start with, then you have to do less to them. In the markets, when produce comes from the lagoon, or the nearby island of Sant’Erasmo, or a farm just beyond Treviso, it’s marked nostrani: ‘ours’. The loveliest manifestation of pride is found in this instance – the traders are proud to be selling ingredients harvested, reared or caught by local farmers and artisans.’

FOR FISH

‘Go to Delfino, close to where the Sant’Anna Canal starts. It’s a lively place with a permanent soundtrack of reggae playing on a tinny beatbox. Maurizio and Nicola are the unlikeliest fishmongers and you get a good dose of banter with everything you buy.’ pescheriadelfino.com

FOR FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

Visit Stefano, in Campiello Caboto. He employs a couple of cheeky chaps who flirt outrageously with the (mostly) elderly female clientele. Not only do they get away with it but, judging by the crowds, they are pretty popular.’

FOR MEAT

‘I always head back to the Macelleria on Calle delle Ancore. It’s the butcher’s shop with the longest queues – always an encouraging sign.’

FOR GROCERIES

‘Ortis is an alimentari, a corner shop. It sells dried pasta and fresh bread, which is particularly fantastic. The cheese is really good as are the cured meats, tins of anchovy and dried pulses. And most excitingly, it’s the only place left here that makes the salt-cod paste, baccalà Mantecato, on the premises. The cod is soaked for 12 hours in big barrels outside until it’s perfect and soft.’ Salizada Santa Giustina 2910

FOR MARKET TRAWLING

‘The most famous one in Venice, of course, is the Rialto. There must be 20 different fish markets and another 30 or so fruit and vegetable traders underneath the red tarp, all in this beautiful, 800-year-old structure. It’s raucous, brash, frenetic and noisy. But it makes you feel you are in the beating heart of the city – physically and literally. If you look at a map and you put your finger in the centre of Venice, the chances are you’ll put it right on top of the Rialto.’

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AI GONDOLIERI

It may be close to the Guggenheim tourist traffic but Al Gondolieri, with its traditional Vento dishes (most made with red meat and game), is a local favourite. The wood-panelled dining rooms are pleasingly old-fashioned. Dorsoduro 366, Venice (00 39 041 528 6396; aigondolieri.com)

BANDIERETTE

In the tourist-free area between the churches of Santi Giovanni e Paolo and San Francesco della Vigna, this family-run restaurant wins no prizes for decor or atmosphere; but if you're prepare to put romantic ambience aside, it offers one of the best-value seafood meals in Venice. Barbaria delle Tole, Castello 6671, Venice (00 39 041 5220619)

CAFFE LAVENA

The tourists, plus a few well-heeled Venetians, follow Goethe to the Caffè Florian or Proust to the Gran Caffè Quadri, and very elegant they both are, too. But for what the locals claim is the best espresso in the piazza San Marco, be different and drop in at the Caffè Lavena. The decor here is hardly less sumptuous than that of its more famous rivals, with gilded mirrors, strawberry-ripple marble floors and Murano chandeliers. Lavena has musical associations: Wagner would come here for refreshment with his father-in-law, Liszt, and Rostropovich was a regular. But it was also at one time the meeting place of the gondoliers' union, which is the best coffee testimonial you could ask for. Piazza San Marco 133-4, Venice (00 39 041 522 4070; lavena.it)

CANTINA DO MORI

At the Cantina do Mori you can buy tramezzini, white-bread sandwiches cut in triangles which come generously filled with all manner of fillings, from radicchio, gorgonzola and speck to onions marinated with anchovies and stuffed vegetables. Open Mon-Sat. San Polo 429, Venice (00 39 041 5225401)

CHIOGGIA ISLAND

If you'd like to venture even further afield, head to Chioggia, famed for its superlative fish market. Two restaurants to try after a morning's shopping are: Al Buon Pesce, ponte Caneva 625 (00 39 041 400861), open Thurs-Tues, and Al Bersagliere, via C Battisti 293 (00 39 041 401044, alcapitellochioggia.it), open Wed-Mon. Have tea at Pasticceria Bruno, ponte Caneva or Ruggero on calle Olivotti, keeping space for a slice of sweet torta al radicchio e acrote or the very Venetian sounding biscuits, favetta dei morti.

DA FIORE

It used to be a neighbourhood wine bar, and locals still have the sacrosanct right to perch at the bar and order una ombra ('a shadow', the Venetian term for a glass of wine). But Da Fiore is now the city's best restaurant. It's also one of the more serious, the decor is sober and the emphasis firmly on quality, rather than hooking passing tourists. As usual in Venice, fish is a speciality, with starters like misto crudo (a sort of Venetian sushi, with marinated raw fish) and pennette con capesante e broccoli (short pasta with scallops and broccoli) designed to get you up to speed for the superb tagliata di tonno al rosmarino (tuna steak with rosemary). Open Tues-Sat. Calle del Scaleter, San Polo 2002, Venice (00 39 041 721308; dafiore.net)

DAL PAMPO

Sant'Elena is the leafy residential suburb at the far eastern end of island Venice. Just back from the lagoon-side park stands Dal Pampo, one of the city's cheapest and most down home trattorias, where tourists are a rare sight. Don't expect anything fancy: just a simple tasty pasta course such as spaghetti alla busara (with tomato and scampi) followed by a mixed seafood grill or fry-up. Be sure to book one of the outside tables, and come early by Italian standards: dinner is served 7.30-9pm. Calle Generale Chinotto 24, Sant'Elena, Venice (00 39 041 5208419, osteriadapampo.com)

GATTO NERO

This wonderful restaurant is on the island of Burano, which is easy to get to if you have your own water transport. Try the fegato alla Veneziana (calf's liver with Venice's special white polenta). The seafood is also very good and a mixed plate could include all manner of goodies from granseola (spider crab) and baby octopus to canocchia (a delicious, flat, prawn-like crustacean). Via Giudecca 88, Burano, Venice (00 39 041 730120; gattonero.com)

LA TERRAZZA

Go for the fantastic Bellinis and wonderful views from the top-floor terrace. Order a fritto misto of fish caught from the lagoon, and gaze out at San Giorgio and Il Redentore. Danieli Hotel, Castello 4196, Venice (00 39 041 5226480; danielihotelvenice.com/terrazza-danieli)

LINEADOMBRA

This is one of Venice's sleekest restaurants. Order the sea-bass fillet cooked in a salt crust and enjoy it with views of the Giudecca from the outdoor deck. Dorsoduro 19, Venice (00 39 041 241 1881; ristorantelineadombra.com)

LOCANDA CIPRIANI

Located on the island of Torcello, this is an annex of the fabulous and famous Cipriani Hotel. It is an unassuming-looking restaurant with the relaxed ambiance of a country-house hotel. The traditional food includes pappardelle con fegato and turkey with chestnuts at Christmas. Piazza Santa Fosca 29, Torcello, Venice (00 39 041 730150; locandacipriani.com)

OSTERIA AL PONTE

For the best snacks in Venice head to Osteria al Ponte, which is more commonly known (after its speciality) as La Patatina and order the huge roast potato chips. Generations of students have kept the wolf from the door by diving in here between lectures to devour some of these no-nonsense chunky-cut chips, roasted with rosemary. Note that, like many bacari, this place closes for a few hours in the afternoon and is tucked up in bed by 9pm. Open Mon-Sat. Ponte San Polo, San Polo 2741, Venice (00 39 041 5237238; lapatatina.it)

OSTERIA ANTICO DOLO

There has been a restaurant on this site since 1434. House specialities include seppie in nero (squid in ink) and halibut vincentina. The restaurant also bakes delicious bread. Ruga Rialto 778, San Polo, Venice (00 39 041 522 6546; anticodolo.it)

ROSA SALVA

This is one of the city's best cake shops, where you can assemble a breakfast of cappuccino and local specialities such as zaleti (maize flour and sultana cakes) while sitting at a pavement table in the square. You could of course do the same thing in the Caffè Florian in piazza San Marco - but check with the bank manager first. Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Castello 6779, Venice (00 39 041 5227949; rosasalva.it)

SORA AL PONTE

Sora al Ponte, on the far side of the bridge that leads out of campo delle Beccarie, is the place to go for the true bacaro (a traditional Venice wine bar) experience. Perch at the bar, order a glass of white Tocai or red Raboso and tuck into the cicheti (tapas-style snacks). There are usually a few pasta and main courses as well, though you pay extra for the luxury of table, chair and cutlery. Ponte delle Beccarie, San Polo 1588, Venice (00 39 041 718208)

UN MONDO DIVINO

Near the church of San Canciano, north of the Rialto Bridge, this bacaro has some of the best cicheti in Venice. Perch at the counter and point to whichever bite-sized treats take your fancy: specialities of the house include marinaded sea bass and museto (a local pig's head sausage). Wine is served from a selection of more than 40 by-the-glass options. Open Tues-Sun Cannaregio 5984/a, Venice (00 39 041 5211093)